Sarah, you came across my radar because of your recent poetry award. Congratulations! Where could I access the poem that won? I contacted Crux magazine to try to view it (willing to buy the magazine of course) but haven't heard back from them.
Thank you! And thank you for inquiring with Crux. I know they are closing up shop at the end of this year, which is terribly sad. I hope you are able to get ahold of a physical copy of the issue! I have posted the poem on my website: sarahcrowleychestnut.com.
Love spending time with this basket! This story has been pivotal in my own journey toward trusting God's abundance. I'm curious how you imagine the baskets to look. Since childhood I always envisioned them as deep, like a woven laundry hamper we used to have. But I think they were probably wide? "Yeasted yes" is a great phrase—makes me think of the work of the Spirit to open us up to "yes". And also of you teaching me to make sourdough!
Beautiful meditation. I like how you focus first on the basket as icon, as physical object, instead on the boy.
The alliteration is deftly done and the wordplay is light and delicate, echoing the loose weave of the basket.
Is the "you" Jesus, the reader or is it the poet or the basket? I like the ambiguity, though in the end the "most willing vessel" and "behold with a homemaker’s / joy and knack" makes me think of Mary as the subject of the final "you".
Awww this so beautiful! Read it yesterday morning and it has been calling me back for a reread and even carried me over the hurdle of creating a substack account so I could thank you for writing and sharing it. I’m going to print this one out to put in my “favorites” folder.
I love “Bless his upturned hold on the five loaves!” So many layers in this poem to meditate on— our beautiful Lord, our humanity, the creation. I agree with Latayne below- spare and luxuriant, lots of room in here to fill out the details.
Thank you - “Joy fall to thee, [Sarah Crowley Chestnut]” ❤️
Both spare and luxuriant -- love it, love the alliteration. I hear Hopkins breathing in your poetry.
Hopkins is certainly a major influence on me -- that you hear him here is an honor!
Sarah, you came across my radar because of your recent poetry award. Congratulations! Where could I access the poem that won? I contacted Crux magazine to try to view it (willing to buy the magazine of course) but haven't heard back from them.
Thank you! And thank you for inquiring with Crux. I know they are closing up shop at the end of this year, which is terribly sad. I hope you are able to get ahold of a physical copy of the issue! I have posted the poem on my website: sarahcrowleychestnut.com.
I see why that poem won the award. Balanced, nuanced, stabbing.
Behold with a homemaker's joy and knack??? What a delicious line! I'm going to think about the beauty of this all morning.
Love spending time with this basket! This story has been pivotal in my own journey toward trusting God's abundance. I'm curious how you imagine the baskets to look. Since childhood I always envisioned them as deep, like a woven laundry hamper we used to have. But I think they were probably wide? "Yeasted yes" is a great phrase—makes me think of the work of the Spirit to open us up to "yes". And also of you teaching me to make sourdough!
I like it!
https://open.substack.com/pub/spiralinglight001/p/god-in-plain-sight?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5vte21
This lands so well, I get to the end and want to start again from the beginning. Lovely!
Wonderful
Goodness! This is beautiful
I love the form and your imagery!
Beautiful meditation. I like how you focus first on the basket as icon, as physical object, instead on the boy.
The alliteration is deftly done and the wordplay is light and delicate, echoing the loose weave of the basket.
Is the "you" Jesus, the reader or is it the poet or the basket? I like the ambiguity, though in the end the "most willing vessel" and "behold with a homemaker’s / joy and knack" makes me think of Mary as the subject of the final "you".
"of one boy’s yeasted yes."
Love that line! :)
Awww this so beautiful! Read it yesterday morning and it has been calling me back for a reread and even carried me over the hurdle of creating a substack account so I could thank you for writing and sharing it. I’m going to print this one out to put in my “favorites” folder.
I love “Bless his upturned hold on the five loaves!” So many layers in this poem to meditate on— our beautiful Lord, our humanity, the creation. I agree with Latayne below- spare and luxuriant, lots of room in here to fill out the details.
Thank you - “Joy fall to thee, [Sarah Crowley Chestnut]” ❤️